Newton Heath Childhood 1950s

A Memory of Newton.

Hi, I was born in Harpurhey but moved to Newton Heath in about 1949. I went to Hague Street School till I was 11, then on to St Mary's Road Secondary Modern. Hague Street was a nice school, we all seemed to get on very well, our head teacher was Mr Sowerbutts, quite a genial chap as I remember. If you got a merit award in class, you would go to Mr Sowerbutt's office on a Friday, and you and the other merit pupils would get a small Walls ice cream as a reward. Mr Jackson was my teacher, I think he trained as a teacher after the war.
We would play on Mather & Platts big open field alongside the canal, and on the 'rec on Tenacres Lane, we were always out playing, in the local streets, Pearson Street /Elvey Street and across the road in Robert Street and Pilling Street. I remember going to the Loco football matches, and going to the Ceylon picture house on Thorpe Road, while you were waiting for the film to start, the usher would come round and spray disenfectant in the air, you ended up damp where he had sprayed over you. I also remember going to Newton Heath Palais on a Sunday afternoon when I was about 15. I was in the choir at St Anne's church, and went to the youth club there on a Sunday evening after evensong. Happy memories of past times.
Beryl Dawson, nee Mallard.